I think the problem with our side comes down to player selection TM has put together a side without thought of need or team selection. It’s highlighted by the fact the two largest cash outlays are both on CF. This while we already have the leagues highest rated young CF in AA. But it goes deeper. AA and Dack have never jelled together. Dack prefers AA playing wide while AA would prefer to be center. Rothwell is better suited in the center than out wide, but when everyone is fit he’s played out of position. Seems to me 1/2 the selection each week is shoehorned into a position not best suited for their abilities. The squad has 5 CF, 10 Center mids (apparently that’s what Downing is now too), no center backs, 1 actual outside back (Naymbe) and only winger (Dolan). The squad construction is 100% on TM and right now though there are good players, theres seem to have been no thought into how those pieces could work together.

TM seems to do better with his hands tied. Dack and Armstrong both seem to be good business. He’s proven to be shit when given a budget. Could you imagine the dreadful lot he’d put together with man city’s coffers?

White rumors about that west ham may bid 30 million for AA, I say we take it. We’re delusional if we think top 6 is in our grasp this campaign. After sell in fees, we’d probably net 20 million pounds. That’s good money that can be reinvested and more importantly free up the #9 position for BB, SG, or young Vale. AA has been great but I’d prefer a more traditional CF in our current style. Also moving BB to the middle would free up the ability to have Dolan play more in the wing.

Post match comments from TM are laughable. Blaming the pitch, sure it’s bad but Stoke seemed to adapt. We had trained there all week so the condition shouldn’t have come as a surprise...Then to talk about the players not being up to it, which is also true, but whose job is it for them to be prepared? Both comments point right at TM. He says he’s like to have 4 million quid to sign players, but has 14 million of strikers on the bench or playing on the wing.

Where else would he possibly go?

We don’t have any to sit there...they’re either sitting with the physios or utter shit

Kaminski Nyambe Lenihan Braithwaite Douglas Travis Davenport Dack Elliott Brereton Armstrong Rothwell and Johnson ready to come in at half if the center of the park needs changing.

I guess your right...just tell the lad to try and tuck it away and surely it will get cleared out of danger

Douglas with a hospital ball to Davenport to earn the yellow

He wouldn’t be a finished product...my concern is he’s not that good in the air. How many times has he misjudged crosses in the box. That’s a pretty critical quality for a center half.

I’d expect Pool to recall Elliot when TM is sacked, which I’m fine with. Elliot was here to help us try an win promotion, that ship has sailed. I rather now see us develop our own lads.

The man has to get sacked. He himself set the expectations at the kick off to the campaign that we would be in or around a playoff position. 14th is just as close to 6th as it is to 22nd. By his own standards the squad is not performing to expectations.

Because he can’t outperform the AA. No business playing out wide but also no business playing at all if you can’t beat out the competition for the place in the squad

A back 4

He’s also much to soft the play center and hold the ball up. Doesn’t have the pace to threaten the back 2 center half’s nor the airial ability.

Don’t worry The Gaffer will bring Dolan on with 1 min left in regulation. Daft tactics and all

A totally different player since the restart

With 5 substitutes, we run SG out there for 5 min the pull him off

Would like to see Downing replace him. Has the class that we miss from Holtbe

Started when he hit/sniffed top 6. Like a broken record. Get near the top six and go on to lose 6 of 10 while only picking up 6 points

Apart from the the times we’re shipping goals and opportunities to the opposition, our defense is tits. ?

I said this after the last match. 4-3-3, or 4-2-3-1 it’s all the same really. It’s just the direction from the gaffer on players selected, player roles and expectations. Against the top sides we can’t select the same teams with the same directives as the bottom feeders. It’s abundantly clear our back 4 don’t have the quality required to boss the Watfords and Readings of the league. In both matches our center half’s needed cover, both in front of them and out wide.

Anyone want to admit the pressing 4-3-3 line up is leaving out center half’s exposed. Maybe with Travis back we could play this way but Johnson and Evans don’t provide enough cover for our outside backs to be so advanced. Add to that our captain certainly isn’t good enough to be left even numbers.

I guess you can put the names on paper however you like but the mid 3 are all fairly central, one has more defensive responsibilities, while the other two more freedom to operate. One more advanced and the other a bit deeper. The wide advanced players also have defensive responsibilities to cover the backs. So 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 it’s really the same.

For me it’s: Nyambe Lenihan Williams Dougless Travis Holtby elliot. Dack. Brereton Arma I think we would be exposed at the back with both JRC and Douglass against stronger sides. Also think Arma has earned the center forward role and Dack will be just fine playing off him. really a good problem to have trying to leave a quality player out vs years past where we couldn’t find a quality player to put in